Chapter 3
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Chapter 3: No, Brother?
After seeing off Wang Xiao, Lin Qingliu glanced at the time and realized it was already past nine in the evening.
He closed the clinic and continued tidying up the house he had practically obtained for free.
The remnants of destruction from the beast tide a few days ago still needed to be cleared. Tomorrow, he planned to use information coins to purchase cement for repairing the walls and roof, but tonight he had to first clean up the broken bricks and rubble.
"How can there still be gods who personally clean up in this world…"
As Lin Qingliu mechanically performed the monotonous task of cleaning, he couldn’t help but grumble about his bizarre life experiences.
Seizing this moment, he started to "communicate" with his system.
"So, my only real ability is [bestow a blessing]?"
[Yes, before fully awakening as a [Creator], [bestow a blessing] is your sole core ability.]
"Is the ability awakened by the believers through [bestow a blessing] random?"
[It is pseudo-random.]
"Pseudo-random?"
[The pathways of the abilities are determined by the desires and cravings generated during the [bestow a blessing] process, as well as the fragments of inspiration received.]
"Wait, when you say [pathway], are you referring to those settings in my draft on the USB drive?
"You mean the [inspiration] is the stitched-together stories I have on the USB drive?"
[Yes.]
Lin Qingliu felt his breath halt.
What is this? This is a public execution!
Especially since they are discarded drafts; it’s utterly mortifying!
Fortunately, it seemed no one knew those things were written by him, but…
"But those modified and stitched-together drafts are all made up. Can you understand that?"
[Yes, but that is not important.]
"Can I control the believers? I mean, this is a bit too embarrassing, isn’t it?"
[Yes, you can actively erase the believers’ memories and strip away their pathway abilities.]
"That’s good. So you really are my USB drive come to life?"
[Yes.]
“…Impressive.
“Can you tell me more about the [Creator] you just mentioned? Is it the same [Creator] in my settings?"
[Permission insufficient.]
"Hey, hey, you! It’s clearly my USB drive…"
[Permission insufficient.]
"Fine…"
Wang Xiao walked through the vast wilderness, a cool breeze brushing against his face, bringing fresh air that lifted his spirits.
In such a wide, deserted area, it should have been overrun by monsters, yet he saw no terrifying beasts.
"Could this be before the New Era?"
Muttering to himself, Wang Xiao noticed a Middle-aged Man in old-fashioned clothing slowly walking ahead.
Just as he was about to greet him, a menacing shriek echoed from the sky.
Wang Xiao looked up to see a bald eagle fiercely pursuing a mottled pigeon.
The eagle’s eyes were filled with hunger, and the pigeon, panicked and unsure, crashed right into the Middle-aged Man’s arms.
Even if the eagle was fierce, it could not defeat an adult man, but its hunger kept it circling above, unwilling to leave.
With a fierce yet mournful tone, it said,
"Are you going to let me starve to death just to save the pigeon?"
The Middle-aged Man’s expression was neither happy nor sad as he looked at the eagle and asked,
"What food do you need?"
"I want to eat meat!"
The eagle replied harshly.
At that moment, Wang Xiao approached the Middle-aged Man and watched as he immediately began to cut flesh from his own arm upon hearing the eagle’s words.
What a brutal act!
Wang Xiao instinctively took two steps back; at just twenty years old, he had never seen such a scene outside of a classroom.
While his heart raced with fear, the eagle demanded that the meat he offered weigh the same as the pigeon.
The Middle-aged Man continued to cut his flesh until he was almost a skeleton, yet the weight still did not match that of the small pigeon.
Wang Xiao was first shocked, then filled with genuine anger. He overcame his fear and stepped forward, saying loudly,
"I understand the logic, but why is this pigeon so big?"
The eagle turned its head, locking its fierce gaze onto Wang Xiao.
Thinking about his own dying body and the determination he had made, Wang Xiao exclaimed,
"What are you looking at? If he doesn’t have enough, then take mine!"
Saying this, he took the knife from the Middle-aged Man’s hand and cut a strip of flesh from his own arm to offer, but it still weighed less than the pigeon that felt heavy as a ton.
At that moment, the eagle looked at the Middle-aged Man and asked,
"Don’t you regret it?"
The Middle-aged Man shook his head and replied with an unchanging tone,
"Not at all."
"I don’t believe that!"
The eagle snarled fiercely.
"If I speak the truth, let the flesh on my body grow back," the middle-aged man responded.
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Xiao’s jaw nearly dislocated.
He watched as the wounds on the middle-aged man’s body began to heal at a visible speed, transforming from a near-skeleton back to his original appearance within just a few seconds.
Seeing this, the bald eagle immediately transformed into a humanoid and began to bow and praise the middle-aged man.
Now it was Wang Xiao’s turn to be surprised. He glanced back and forth between the middle-aged man and the eagle-turned-humanoid, then looked at the bleeding wound on his own arm. His expression changed several times, and he finally couldn’t help but say,
"Buddy, why didn’t you say you could grow it back sooner?"
Both the middle-aged man and the eagle-turned-humanoid looked at Wang Xiao and smiled, saying,
"Are you not the same?"
"Eh?"
Wang Xiao froze for a moment. Just as he was about to look at his own arm, he felt a wave of weakness wash over him, plunging him into deeper darkness.
—
"Hu, hu, hu…"
Wang Xiao’s heavy breathing echoed in the dark room.
On this not-so-hot spring night, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his face appeared almost sickly red.
His body trembled uncontrollably, yet he seemed to be in a deep sleep, unable to wake up.
A yellowish, sticky liquid began to seep slowly from beneath his skin, mixing with sweat and being absorbed by the covers that enveloped him.
His body temperature had already exceeded the maximum limit for a normal person, showing no signs of cooling; instead, it continued to rise.
The layers of fat accumulated from the work and study pressure over the past year were being consumed at a terrifying speed, as if something was trying to break through from within him.
Wang Xiao’s body was undergoing dramatic changes silently, and the entire Hope City remained oblivious to it, except for…
—
【【Bestow a blessing】has taken effect
Believer Wang Xiao has awakened
Current Level: One
Current Path (Only): 【Flesh and Blood】
Manifested Ability: 【Proliferation】】
"Why is someone awakening in the middle of the night? Don’t have such uncivilized believers in the future!"
Lin Qingliu, who had just finished two hours of physical work, was awakened by the system’s notification as he entered a dream, rubbing his eyes and cursing.
Before he could fully understand Wang Xiao’s ability, a new notification appeared:
【Triggered the feedback effect of 【Bestow a blessing】, you have gained a new ability
Path: 【Flesh and Blood】
Manifested Abilities: 【Proliferation】, 【Transformation】】
"Great! Wang Xiao, I forgive you!"
Lin Qingliu smiled at the system’s prompt.
The first ability he gained came from this life-saving path, making Lin Qingliu very happy, especially after being crushed to death a couple of days ago, as it significantly increased his survival rate in similar accidents.
However, even though he was the one who created these settings, the actual awakening of the ability felt quite unfamiliar.
As the information appeared, Lin Qingliu felt a warm current flow into his body.
Every muscle, every organ felt energized as if they had been given a stimulant, beginning to expel toxic substances accumulated over the past twenty years.
"Wait, wait, wait, my sheets! My sheets!"
Pe551
Nice